Educated Drivers: The Key to Reducing Car Accidents

There
are over 16,000 car crashes per day in the United States. There are
many factors contributing to this statistic, such as distracted
driving, aggressive driving, over population on streets, ect. The
number one factor is uneducated drivers. Uneducated drivers are a
danger to everyone on the road and what makes them such a viable
threat is that not all of them are so easy to spot while driving. For
example, you could be driving behind some who appears to be driving
“responsibly” and you decide to change lanes for an upcoming
right turn. As you get into the right lane, the driver ahead of you
also changes lanes without using their turn signal and crashes into
you. Many drivers either forget this very simple step in the lane
changing process or were unaware that they were supposed use their
turn signal. They may not be an aggressive driver, but not knowing
the proper procedures causes them to be a liability on the road.

We
can reduce uneducated driving, by implementing mandatory driver’s
ed courses or requiring new drivers to watch educational videos on
the rules of the road. Insurance companies such as State Farms offer
insurance discounts to those using their safe driving devices. They
require the driver to place a device in their car which tracks their
driver responsibility such as phone usage, speed, and braking. Along
with installing the device, the driver is required to watch videos on
safe driving techniques.

I
personally was involved in a hit and run accident caused by reckless
and uneducated driving. My car was hit by a taxi cab driver. The taxi
cab driver was trying to make a U-turn out of a gas station through
two lanes of oncoming traffic and as I was transitioning into the
left turning lane, he crashed into my passenger side door and drove
off. I had a passenger in the car, luckily neither of us were harmed,
but the crash could’ve been detrimental. An educated driver
would’ve waited until all traffic was clear before attempting to
make that turn instead of trying the force their way through traffic.

I
personally try to create a safer driving environment for those around
me by keeping a safe driving device in my car. I also watch
educational videos to improve my driving intelligence and keep me
informed of all the rules of the road. We all can reduce the number
of car accidents if we take the time to educate ourselves on driver
safety. It all starts with an open mind.